Itsu Made Mou
by Yue Guang Kuroneko
Summary: With Haruhi and Kyouya married, their lives haven't ended. It's just the beginning of forever. (If interested in the backstory, please read Kimi no Koe and Touch of Serenity.)
1. Reunion

**Title:** _Itsu Made Mo (Forever)_  
**Written by:** Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi, NekozawaxRenge  
**Rating: **eto...PG.  
**Written for:** Tono and Nyanto because they requested I write a reunion story for Kimi no Koe—probably between chapter four and five of Touch of Serenity. (Or you can say that this is an alternative ending to Touch of Serenity for those of you who didn't like chapter five. xD)  
**Dedicated to:** all of my supporters and friends. Thank you all so much for being so patient with me and my writer's block!  
**Warning: **Beware of OOCness and just general suckage! And no plot…just a drabble.  
**  
**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran or any of its characters. They belong only to the great Bisco Hatori-sama (and BONES)...I don't own the original ideas of this story either. They belong to Tono and Nyanto. I'm just portraying this story as I thought would fit.

PLEASE READ KIMI NO KOE AND TOUCH OF SERENITY FIRST!

**Itsu Made Mo (Forever)  
**By, Yue Guang Kuroneko  
(with ideas originating from Tono and Nyanto)

--

Ootori Haruhi wasn't quite sure she wanted to go to the Ouran reunion. After all, their past customers had absolutely no idea that she was a woman—married to the president of the Ootori Corporation at that—with a child. Their wedding had been a rather small one and the only piece of information that had been released to the public was that Ootori Kyouya was no longer the sexiest bachelor in Japan. As for whom he had been wed to, it was never announced openly and many of their acquaintances did not yet know that Haruhi was a woman, save for a few of the closer friends they made out of Ouran.

"Mommy."

Haruhi gazed down at the young boy who was currently clutching at her dress pants with his chubby fists.

"Yes, Takumi?" she knelt down to his level. "What's wrong?"

"Where is daddy?"

"He'll be here soon," Haruhi promised her son. "He said he was going to be a little late today."

"Where are we going, mommy?" Takumi asked her as she stood taking his hand in hers.

"We're going to visit the place where daddy and mommy first met," Haruhi explained as they left the mansion. She watched as Takumi waved good-bye to their servants and maids who returned his smile with their own.

Suddenly, her cell phone rang and she picked up, already knowing the caller without having to glance at the ID.

"Kyouya," she smiled as she heard his light breathing over the receiver.

"I'm almost home," her husband said coolly into the phone as if he had been on-time rather than rushing out of a prolonged meeting and a delayed flight. Then again, knowing Kyouya, he probably didn't bother leaving the meeting early. He was never the type to "hurry" anywhere.

"We're outside," Haruhi told him, her eyes gazing up at the blue sky, sparkling at the thought of her husband's return after a six-month absence.

Haruhi felt Takumi pulling at her pant leg again.

"Is that daddy?" he whispered loudly.

She nodded at him and handed him the phone.

"DADDY!" Takumi squealed into the phone happily. "Are you on your way home from America now?"

The previous Fujioka Haruhi never would have imagined herself married to Kyouya, nor would she have known that she'd be so happy being married to him. She had always imagined herself as a bachelorette, successful in law and content with her life but now she was quite glad she didn't follow through completely with that plan.

The Ootori limo had entered the gates and reached them before Haruhi noticed it. She greeted the driver with a grateful smile as he opened the door.

"**DADDY**!" Takumi flung himself at the tall, dark-haired man as he stepped out of the limo, looking as intensely sexy as ever.

"Hey," he caught Takumi and spun him once in the air before allowing Takumi to settle in his arms. "Did you behave yourself while I was away, Takumi?"

"Yes!" Takumi looked proud of himself. "I took care of mommy!"

"Did you now?" Kyouya gazed in her direction briefly before setting Takumi down lightly. "Why don't you greet our guest in the limo? You should remember him."

"'Kay!" Takumi clambered into the limo without another word.

"Welcome home," Haruhi smiled at him as he strode over to her with his long legs.

He only offered her a small smile in reply before bending slightly to kiss her cheek. She loved this about him—his simple gestures meant much more to her than it would to anyone else. She could feel the warmth of his breath that whispered something deeper than "Hello" and it made her heart skip a beat every time.

"Are you ready?" he asked her as she slipped her hand into his discreetly. "We don't have to go if you prefer not to."

Haruhi laughed to herself silently as she gazed up at Kyouya's face. She wasn't quite sure whether or not that he realized this, but he had evolved from a seemingly cold and heartless, profit-driven Shadow King to a warm father and a wonderful husband.

"I want to go," Haruhi admitted to him, allowing her shoulders to rise slightly. "It would be nice to see everyone again."

They headed down the steps into the limo and Haruhi slipped inside to meet a pair of familiar violet-blue eyes.

"HARUHI!" the figure attacked her before her brain registered a name with the face. "HOW I'VE MISSED YOU!"

"Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi managed once her mind clicked. Suddenly, she realized that there was no one else with him. "Where are Akiko-san and your daughters?"

"She wasn't feeling well," Tamaki pouted as he pulled himself away and seated across from her. "And she wouldn't allow me to bring my girls with me to the reunion."

_That was probably very smart of Akiko-san,_ she thought secretly to herself.

Kyouya entered after their conversation and Takumi quickly clambered onto his father's lap with excitement clearly shown on his chubby face.

"What was America like, daddy? Was it fun? Did you bring back any souvenirs? Did you meet any famous people? DID YOU SEE JACKIE CHAN!?" Takumi burst out with questions and Kyouya answered them simply as he held Takumi with his right arm and his left hand found hers. Haruhi listened to the men converse with half a mind—the other half wandered off to their friends.

She had not spoken to the Hitachiin twins since they left for France due to their job as fashion designers. When was that? A couple of months ago? No, it was probably four months ago, now that she thought about it. She hadn't seen much of Mori-senpai or Hani-senpai either, even though they were closer in location compared to the twins—they were simply too busy with the dojo and Hani-senpai's famous sweets shop. They did send an e-mail last week however, informing them that they would be attending the reunion.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Haruhi snapped out of her thoughts and gazed over at Takumi who seemed to have gotten bored of Kyouya's lap. He raised his arms and she smiled at him before gesturing her four-year-old over to her. He gave her a toothy grin and hopped onto her lap, nuzzling his face into her neck.

The rest of the ride to Ouran was relatively silent, save from a few cute remarks from Takumi. Once they were at the school's perimeters, Tamaki began acting like a child with Takumi who awed at the large, splendidly decorated grounds.

"Look, Haruhi!" Tamaki squealed as they entered the gates. "This is where you met daddy!"

"What nonsense are you sprouting?" Kyouya questioned the King of the famous Host Club with a hint of malice. "Especially in front of my son, Tamaki."

"But Kyouya—!" Tamaki began to whine.

"And you work here as chairman," Kyouya pointed out coolly, showing disinterest in the king clearly by staring blankly out of the window. "You come here every day."

"But it's exciting when you've got your friends with you!" Tamaki defended himself, placing a hand to his chest as if he was wounded that Kyouya could be so difficult. "It's boring coming to work here by myself."

She laughed lightly at Tamaki's reasoning. He hadn't changed since he and Kyouya graduated but somehow, she was refreshed by this.

As they drove up to the school, Haruhi gazed out of the window and began to recognize a couple of faces.

There was Kuragano Momoka, the past vice-president of their class 1-A. The modest woman was smiling up at a still-awkward-looking Souga Kazukiyo, clinging onto his arm and laughing heartily. Her face was still cute but she had grown—just like everyone else had. Momoka had a cheerful, motherly look about her and Haruhi wouldn't be surprised if Kazukiyo finally possessed the courage to propose to her. (Although she was quite sure that he was still as scared as ever when it came to the supernatural.)

And then there was Kanako, the flirty designator who had flitted from host to host, never having a special host—after all, she had already been engaged to Suzushima Toru at the time. It seems that he hasn't changed much (aside from the mustache he seemed to have grown in) and that these two were still as in love as ever.

Once the limo stopped, Tamaki was the first to leave, causing much commotion among the girls who were gathered outside. They swarmed around him, disregarding Kyouya as he stepped out in a more dignified manner (not to mention Haruhi realized that most of those women were married and had completely abandoned their husbands to greet Tamaki with shrill screams of pure joy.) Kyouya offered his hand to her and she took it, still holding Takumi before he struggled to be let down. Haruhi placed him down on the ground steadily after a word was given by his father to "behave" himself.

"Yes, daddy," Takumi bowed his head as his father helped her out of the limo.

"Hey, who's the girl with Ootori-kun?"

"Is that their child?"

"Doesn't she look like Haruhi-kun?"

"My goodness! She does!"

"You don't suppose they are related?"

"Ah! Now I want to see Haruhi-kun!"

Haruhi laughed softly to herself as she listened to their conversation behind Tamaki's squealing group of fangirls. Kyouya smirked in her direction, having obviously heard that same conversation, and, as she took Takumi's hand, escorted her up into the overly decorated Ouran High School.

"Kyouya! Haruhi!"

The entire hall became silent as Nekozawa Renge rushed up to them, squealing and excited to see them as usual. Umehito was behind her, walking carefully and steadily, as if he was holding something precious; something even more precious than his darkness.

"Renge," Haruhi greeted her with a smile before Renge launched herself at them. (Kyouya, of course, smoothly stepped out of the way to avoid her glomp.)

"Auntie Renge!" Takumi raised his arms up at her.

"Taku-chan!" Renge lifted him and hugged him as if he was a large teddy bear. "You've grown!"

"It's nice to see you again, Nekozawa-senpai," Haruhi greeted the much more confident man with a large smile.

"It's been a while," Umehito agreed. "We've been slightly busy."

"Busy?" Haruhi inquired curiously. "With what?"

At this, Renge set Takumi down and grasped Haruhi's hands excitedly.

"Haruhi, can you believe it?" Renge gushed. "Ume-chan and I are parents!"

Umehito pushed aside a bit of his cloak and Haruhi found herself staring into a pair of pretty light blue eyes.

"Her name is Rin," Renge stated proudly. "Isn't she just the cutest?!"

"Rin-chan," Haruhi said. "What a pretty name…can I hold her?"

Umehito nodded and handed her the bundle carefully and both she and Kyouya gazed upon Rin's cute face; she fondly, he in interest.

"Who is that, mommy?" Takumi tugged at her pants again.

"A new friend," she replied as she knelt to his level to give him a good look at Rin. "Her name is Nekozawa Rin. Say hello."

"Hi Rin-chan!" Takumi grinned at the little baby girl brightly. "Let's be friends!"

Rin gazed upon Takumi with large eyes and after hearing his words (and deciding she liked the sound of them) she broke into a toothless smile and reached up at him from her dark-colored blanket.

The entire hall let out an awed sigh and it was only then that Haruhi realized they were being watched. The hall was silent once more for a moment when suddenly,

"HARUHI-KUN IS A GIRL!?"

Something_similar_ to chaos (but not quite) broke out and Haruhi (acting upon her instincts as a woman) quickly returned Rin to her parents as Kyouya lifted Takumi in his arms so that he wouldn't be trampled on. They managed to make it outside and into the Garden Maze before Haruhi began to run out of breath from running and laughing at the same time.

"I didn't expect them to find out like that," Haruhi laughed breathlessly as they slowed into a walk. "I expected something less hectic."

Kyouya didn't answer her as they strolled deeper into the maze, surrounded by the scent of blossoming roses and speckles of light. It was beautiful out—the moon had yet to rise but the last tendrils of the sunset were already beginning to disappear from the darkening sky, signaling its entrance. The air had cooled down, and a small breeze picked up.

Haruhi watched Kyouya silently as Takumi struggled in his arms to be let down. Once his feet touched the ground, he began to skip alongside of them, chasing after the season's fireflies.

"It's been a while since we walked around here," Kyouya broke the comfortable silence.

"Yes," Haruhi smiled up at him as they seated themselves in a nearby gazebo, watching as Takumi plopped down on the green grass, panting for breath after failing to catch the insects with fluorescent bottoms. "It's been a while since we've been out together as a family, hasn't it?"

After a few moments of silence and watching Takumi play excitedly by himself (and exhausting himself in the process, resulting in him flopping down on the ground and rolling on the grass like a puppy), she allowed Kyouya to take her hand and lead her back out of the gazebo. They stopped in front of Takumi and he prepared to jump up, knowing that he was going to get a scolding for acting so undignified. Instead, Kyouya sat down beside his son and pulled her down with him.

Takumi's wide eyes were replaced with a broad smile and he clambered over to them, settling in between their legs, grinning widely, showing off his missing front teeth. Haruhi smiled down at him and hugged him fondly with her free arm as Kyouya placed a hand on his mussed head.

"Did you see where they went?"

"I lost them a while back."

"Can you believe Haruhi-kun is a girl?"

"A pretty one, at that!"

"I always thought Haruhi-kun would be with Tamaki-sama,"

"But I think Kyouya-sama and Haruhi-kun make a good couple too,"

"Did you see their son? He was adorable!"

"Aww…but to think my beloved Haruhi was a girl…"

"I know—it was the first time my heart went doki-doki and she was a girl!"

Takumi stared at them with wide eyes as they began to laugh silently, bodies shaking with suppressed laughter. Tears ran out of her eyes as she patted Takumi's stomach affectionately and buried her face into Kyouya's shaking shoulder.

"There you are," they heard a voice behind them. "Why are you laughing?"

Somehow, Tamaki's question only furthered the hilarity of their situation, and Haruhi found that she could no longer breathe properly. She wheezed for a couple of moments as Tamaki seated himself across from them, a look of confusion etched on his face as they continued to laugh until finally, their laughing began to ease.

"I haven't seen you two laugh like that in a while," Tamaki spoke with a bright smile. "Then again, Kyouya's been gone for six months."

Haruhi smiled at Tamaki and then up at her husband. Yes, it's been a while since they've been together.

"Ah! There's Haru-chan and Kyou-chan!" a very familiar, sugary voice could be heard behind them and Haruhi turned to find Hani and Mori heading their way. "We were looking all over for you!"

"Hani-senpai! Mori-senpai!" Haruhi exclaimed, waving at them.

The cute senior was taller now with a rather mature _something_ about him but he still possessed the same, cute air—and Haruhi had no doubts that he still had that monstrous sweet tooth. Not to mention that he still held Usa-chan safely in his arms, slightly worn but nevertheless, in very good condition. His cousin, Morinozuka Takashi, hasn't seemed to have changed at all…except, perhaps, looking slightly older, thanks to the rather matured and weathered look that he possessed compared to the bouncy, hyperactive boy next to him.

"I missed you, Haru-chan!" Hani launched himself at her, his eyes sparkling with Usa-chan in tow. "We haven't seen you in ages!" Without waiting for a reply, he launched into a series of updates on himself and the tall cousin next to him, "I'm glad Takashi and I made it in time! We were held back at the dojo because our students have been putting forth extra effort for the dojo tournaments coming up in the fall. You should come and watch, Haru-chan! Oh, and you should visit the sweets shop when you have the time too—we have a huge strawberry line coming out soon! And…and…!"

Haruhi laughed as Hani began to trip over his words, obviously overexcited at the sight of their little club gathered together again. Now the only people they were missing were the Cheshire cats that they all knew so well…

"There's a huge ruckus inside the school," one of the anticipated voices spoke up from behind them. "And no one's taking charge of it."

"Tono, since you're the chairman of the school, shouldn't you calm everyone back at the school?"

"Hika-chan! Kao-chan!" Hani waved to them vigorously. "You managed to make it!"

"Yeah," Hikaru gave them a lopsided grin. "We caught the last plane to Japan really last minute. I'm glad we actually made it."

"Uncle Hikaru! Uncle Kaoru!" Takumi nearly pulled out of her arms and jumped up at them. "Did you bring me any presents!?"

"Takumi,"

At the sound of his father's voice, Takumi quieted as Hikaru gave a small laugh and patted him on the head, "Don't worry, sport, we've got presents for you."

Haruhi stood, stretching as she smiled at the two successful designers in front of her, "It's been a while, Hikaru. Kaoru."

"Haruhi," Kaoru's smile brightened as they both took a single long stride towards her before enveloping her in a familiar sandwich hug. "How are you?"

"Good," she answered as she smiled up at them. She caught Hikaru throwing a couple of misaimed glares at her husband who deflected them with a simple raised eyebrow. "And you?"

"We're doing fine," Kaoru laughed, giving Hikaru a light jab in the ribs as they let go of her by the order of the Shadow King's heated stare. "We're getting married."

"Congratulations!" Hani bounced around and made Usa-chan give the twins a hug in best wishes. Tamaki, having felt so moved that his beloved devil sons are getting married, could say nothing as he vigorously shook both of their hands.

Haruhi was silent for a moment, "To each other?"

She could have sworn she heard a cough behind her where Kyouya was standing.

"Our parents would disapprove," Hikaru huffed, although obviously looking disappointed as he pulled away from Tamaki and Hani. "Considering we're required to invite them to our wedding, I don't think that would be a very good idea."

"We're getting married to the models we've been working with since we started our brand of clothing," Kaoru explained. "We're fond of them and each other and vice versa, so it works out nicely."

Haruhi was drawing a blank. She was sure that she was supposed to know who they were talking about but she was feeling her memory fail her.

"You know," Hikaru tried to spark her memory, "the two girls who nearly had a run-in with Kyouya-senpai when all of us tried to force you into our new line of lingerie."

"Ah," Haruhi remembered now. "I think they were quite offended by Kyouya's choice of words."

"As they should have been," Kyouya seemed to have growled slightly.

"Of course, of course," Kaoru said hastily as he laughed uncomfortably before altering the direction of their conversation. "Anyway, we haven't got the date planned or anything—the engagement had been made about a week ago—so we'll send out invitations as soon as we're organized."

"You'll be there, won't you?" Hikaru eyed Kyouya warily as if daring him to prevent Haruhi from attending the wedding.

"Of course we will," Haruhi answered as she picked up Takumi, who had been pulling at her pants for the longest time. "We'll definitely try to make it."

She smiled up at Kyouya and found him letting out a sigh in addition to giving her a single nod.

"We're invited too, aren't we, Kao-chan?" Hani gazed up at the more mature twin with big watery eyes.

"Of course, of course," Kaoru raised his hands as he replied hastily to prevent the martial artist from turning on the waterworks. "You're all invited."

"Even Usa-chan?"

"Yes, even Usa-chan," Kaoru answered cheerfully as his twin's smile twitched slightly at the thought of their fashionable wedding being invaded by pink stuffed bunny rabbits. "I'm sure Arisa-chan would love Usa-chan."

"Ooh! Which one is Arisa-chan? Do you have a picture to show daddy?"

As Hani and Tamaki pestered the twins for more information about their fiancés, Haruhi smiled down at Takumi who seemed to be slightly dozing off on her shoulder.

"Are you tired, Takumi?" Haruhi turned her smile towards her husband as he bent slightly to converse with their son.

"I'm not tired!" Takumi retaliated before ending the sentence with a loud yawn. "I'm awake, daddy!"

Kyouya gave a chuckle and patted Takumi on the head as he straightened up, "We'll see about that, Takumi."

"Should we head home?" Haruhi asked quietly as Takumi's breathing slowed to a consistent pace. "He's already asleep."

"We'll stay for a little while,"

Haruhi was slightly surprised at his willingness to stay at the reunion, but then again…that was so like him.

"Yes," she smiled up at him as he bent his head to kiss her lightly on the lips. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

He said nothing as he pulled away only to embrace her and Takumi warmly in his arms. His arms were so comforting and as she gazed up at him, he gazed down at her through unreadable eyes before he gave her a small smile. Her heart fluttered, even after those amazing years with him, and she could only respond with a light, uncharacteristic blush.

Their conversations were simple and repetitive, but somehow, she found it appropriate. It wasn't that their conversations were limited because it was awkward to be together again after such a long period of time, but rather, they both missed the small talks they made before Kyouya left for an extended business trip. It was somewhat of a habit for them—most words were unnecessary—and this made Haruhi happy to know that nothing has changed. Or perhaps they have in a warm, loving way that she cannot describe. All she knew now was that she was happy with this man and that this man, with those dark, mysterious obsidian eyes, felt the same way she did.

"Come on, you two; what are you standing around for?"

"We can't very well go in without you!"

"Usa-chan wants some cake!"

"HARUHI! KYOUYA! Let's go in together!"

"It took us forever to find you, and the darkness cannot wait!"

"Hurry up, Haruhi! Rin-chan wants to play with Taku-chan some more!"

Their attention was stolen by the group a rather long way away (joined by Renge and Umehito with their daughter) and Haruhi gave Kyouya a sideways glance before they exchanged small content smiles.

"We're coming!" Haruhi called out as they slowly made their way to their dearest friends.

Kyouya silently transferred Takumi into his arms before taking her hand in his free one and together, they set off together to join their friends for this reunion, for the future Hitachiin wedding, and for the rest of their lives.

--

**Author's Note:** Hello, everyone! I have broken my promise about not writing a continuation to Kimi no Koe and Touch of Serenity and I proudly present the official last part of this series! For those of you who cursed me for chapter five of Touch of Serenity, here is my apology! (bows deeply) I could write some more for the series, but that could technically be considered a whole new story—we'll see. Maybe someone will inspire me one day. Either way, I hope you all enjoyed it! (And for those of you who don't know much about Kyouya and Haruhi's love-background (as well as Tamaki's love-background), I really do suggest you read Kimi no Koe andTouch of Serenity!)

Please drop a comment if you have the time. I'd love to see what ideas you want to me to try out or what you thought about this addition to the story. It makes me really happy and sometimes inspires me to write some more fluffy KyouxHaru fanfics. 

- "Tamaki-senpai" The prefix -senpai is used for those higher than you. For example, an 8th grader would call an 11th grader "-senpai"  
- "Akiko-san" The prefix -san is used for those who are not close to you and is unisex. (It is also used to be polite)  
- "Ootori-kun" The prefix -kun is used for (in most cases) males.  
- "Tamaki-sama" The suffix -sama is used as either "master" or "king" by servants, or those of lower lineage/positions in society  
- "doki-doki" The sound a heart makes when it's excited.  
- "Taku-chan" The suffix -chan is used for those either younger than you, or someone you are affectionately close to.  
- "Garden Maze" This is only in the anime! I don't recall being in the manga, it's a maze created by rose bushes with random gazebos in it. I don't usually reference the anime, but the Garden Maze really was pretty and I thought it created a nice atmosphere for Kyouya, Haruhi, and Takumi.

Feedback is really appreciated. Constructive criticism is also appreciated. Mean flames are retaliated with my evil dust kitties and their water furballs...so don't try them. You'll regret it. Really.

Thank you for reading!


	2. That First Date

**Rating: **eto...PG.  
**Written for:** everyone!  
**Dedicated to:** all of the writers out there.  
**Warning: **Beware of OOCness and just general suckage! And no plot…just a drabble. (Also slight confusion with the children's names. Please refer to my author's note for a clear family tree of sorts!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran or any of its characters. They belong only to the great Bisco Hatori-sama (and BONES)...I do, however, own any names you do not recognize. So there. I have a little bit of power. MUWAHAH.

**Extra Chapter**

--

"How do I look? Mom? Dad?"

The parents of Ootori Takumi lifted their heads from their work; Haruhi from her most recent case and Kyouya from a huge list of businesses that contacted him for help. Their son, Takumi, was thirteen and dressed smartly for his date with—what a surprise—his childhood friend, Suou Yukiko.

"Isn't that a bit too dressy for a dinner and a movie?" Haruhi asked as she set aside her papers and stood to inspect her son more closely.

"What movie are you taking her to?" Kyouya asked curiously as he leaned back in his chair. Haruhi could see the satisfied smirk on her husband's lips as she straightened the tie that seemed to be choking her only son to death.

"She said she wanted to watch a new romance movie that just came out," Takumi delicately scrunched up his nose just a tad, but it was enough to catch his father's attention.

"Takumi,"

"Sorry, sorry," the boy apologized quickly, knowing that the disgusted look he had on moments ago was inappropriate. "It's just that Yusuke, Shuichi, and Yuuto said it was better to take her to a horror movie."

"That's understandable," Kyouya said thoughtfully, seemingly very understanding of the male way of thinking.

"You should be more considerate of Yuki-chan's feelings, Takumi," Haruhi scolded her son lightly. "And I don't think you should be wearing that sport coat on a casual date."

"It looks fine, Haru," Kyouya said as he returned his attention to the papers sitting in front of him.

"But wouldn't that give poor Yuki-chan a bit too much pressure? It's just a first date, after all," Haruhi argued as she seated herself in the couch, still inspecting her too well-groomed son.

"First impressions are always important,"

"But they've been friends since she was born," Haruhi argued. "If I remember correctly, Yuki-chan's first impression of Takumi was him running around without his shorts on."

"Mother," Takumi protested at the mention of a very embarrassing childhood.

"By wearing that, don't you think he's putting too much pressure on himself?" Haruhi pressed Kyouya lightly, but persistently.

Kyouya sighed as he put down his papers once more and pulled off his glasses. He stood and did what Haruhi did a moment ago—examine his son. He looked thoughtful for a moment before mussing up his son's carefully gelled hair.

"Dad! What are you doing?" Takumi yelped as his half an hour's worth of work was ruined in five seconds. "It took me ages to get it to stay!"

"You have naturally messy hair," Kyouya informed his son, "it would make Yukiko-chan uncomfortable if you suddenly showed up with hair like mine."

"But I like that style," Takumi pouted.

Haruhi let out a laugh and reached out to take her son's hand, "Yuki-chan likes you, Takumi. Not your father."

"I should hope not," Takumi said under his breath. "I heard Akane and Rin discussing whose father was best-looking with the other girls."

"Oh? And who won?" Kyouya asked him.

"Kyouya!" Haruhi whispered indignantly as she stood and elbowed her husband in the side.

"Dad did, hands down," Takumi looked miserable.

"Well, you're his son," Haruhi attempted to cheer him up. "So you naturally have some of his looks, right?"

"Technically," Kyouya began in that know-it-all voice of his and Haruhi stomped on his foot to stop him.

"So don't worry too much," Haruhi said cheerfully. "Your father is accounted for anyway."

"Oh? Is that jealousy I sense?"

"Only a fool would be jealous in this situation," Haruhi rolled her eyes as she returned her attention to her son. "Just treat Yuki-chan nicely and be a gentleman."

Takumi looked down at his sport coat reluctantly and then back up at his parents.

"And please change into something more comfortable," Haruhi sighed as she turned her son around so that he faced the stairs. "Seeing you squirm in that suit makes _me_ nervous."

The two adults watched as Takumi hurried up the stairs to change into something more like him and less like his father.

"You know," Haruhi spoke up as Kyouya placed an arm around her waist, "I still can't understand why you weren't popular at Ouran."

"What do you mean?" Kyouya asked her as they seated themselves on the couch, waiting for their son to rush back down for their approval.

"I mean…you're easily the most attractive out of everyone in the Host Club," Haruhi said thoughtfully. "Just a bit intimidating but that shouldn't keep the girls away for a long period of time."

"Women high on the society ladder prefer men who are open about their feelings," Kyouya explained to her. "Tamaki is a true foreigner who can satisfy those needs."

"Are you saying that most women prefer men who are open about their feelings?"

"Am I wrong?"

"Well," Haruhi said thoughtfully, "I don't see why that should even be a factor."

"Those women want to know that their men love them," Kyouya explained. "And the only way for them to know would be the man openly expressing that love, right?"

"I can't believe my husband knows more about women than I do," Haruhi teased him lightly. "So you're saying that most foreign men are more expressive in their affections?"

"Well, I suppose it all depends," Kyouya admitted as they listened to the hurried footsteps of their son. "Tamaki is unique to our culture and is good with words. Even if he may not love them in such a way that they wish to be loved, he can still convince them for a moment. Which is probably enough for them."

"Which is why you preferred being in the background with your intimidating personality; so you didn't have to do all that work yourself?" Haruhi laughed.

"Well, I wouldn't have been able to bring in the amount of customers Tamaki did and I always did hate coming up with false words to persuade someone of something equally false,"

"You could easily be as popular as Tamaki if you were kinder and if you took off those glasses that hide your eyes all the time," Haruhi argued.

"Are you trying to get me to become more popular among women now?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Haruhi poked her husband affectionately in the chest. "I'm just saying that you would have made more money in the Host Club if you did your share of hosting and attracting customers."

Kyouya let out a laugh as Takumi rushed back down in khaki trousers and a collared shirt. He was panting and looking positively flushed.

"You look fine," Haruhi patted him on the head as he bent over to catch his breath. "Not like your normal sloppy self, but not too classy and unapproachable like your father either."

"I resent that," Kyouya spoke up as he smiled at his son. He gave Takumi a wink as he stood along with Haruhi. "Remember the manners I taught you."

"Okay," Takumi nodded as he grabbed a light jacket (but really, its price was not quite so light. It _did_ lighten the wallet, however) and rushed out of the doors where the limo was waiting for him. "I'll be back before midnight!"

"Don't you think that's a bit too late for a boy of his early teens?" Haruhi questioned Kyouya as they both waved their son off.

"He'll be back before ten," Kyouya assured her as they headed back inside. "You know Takumi doesn't like to keep you waiting up for him."

"I don't wait up for him," Haruhi said as they settled back into their original places in their parlor. "I'm usually still up at that time."

Kyouya could only chuckle as he prepared to indulge himself in his work again…before a phone call rang through the house.

"Sir, Master Suou is on the line,"

"Thank you, Hiroshi," Kyouya held the phone up to his ear as he continued to leaf through his papers. "What do you need, Tamaki?"

--

"Care to tell me why we're watching a movie in the very same theatre as our children?" Kyouya carefully nursed his aching temples.

"I must see how my darling Yukiko's first date turns out!" Tamaki quickly hid behind a pole as a random couple passed by.

"I don't care about that," Haruhi sighed, "but did you have to bring _everyone_?"

"It was actually Yusuke's idea," Hitachiin Yuuto raised his hands. "We're just curious so we tagged along, that's all."

Yuuto's cousin and sister, Shuichi and Akane, nodded their heads.

"Why do I have to be here?" Suou Haruka, the oldest Suou, asked grumpily as she dug through her bag for her books. "I'm not interested in watching any movies that are out right now."

"I think it's fun!" Nekozawa Rin said cheerfully.

"Me too!" Maki squealed as Takumi seemed to have brushed a bit of Yukiko's bangs from her eyes as they laughed together.

"I'm not going to let him hurt my sister!" Yusuke defended himself against his friends' accusation. "And besides, when dad found out, he was all for it."

"Tamaki," the three adults (Akiko, Haruhi, and Kyouya) gave the blond man a glare.

"Tamaki, darling," Akiko sighed as she placed a hand at her husband's shoulders, "you really shouldn't cause Yuki any more grief than you already have."

"I'm not causing her grief!" Tamaki's voice began to waver. "How can you say that to the man who loves his daughter this much?!"

"Tamaki," Kyouya let out a very dangerous hiss. "Ditch that ridiculous idea you have planted in your head and let's go."

"No!" Tamaki struggled against Kyouya's hands. "I MUST SEE THAT MY DAUGHTER IS TREATED LIKE THE PERFECT LADY SHE IS!"

"Well, it is a bit different to see Yuki-chan in a sundress," Haruhi said quietly to her husband as he gave up the fight. "She's usually such a tomboy."

"Which made Tamaki especially happy to see her as a girl for once, am I right?" Kyouya asked in a very bored tone. "I don't see why _we_ have to be here."

"Our son _is_ the one who asked Yuki-chan on a date in the first place," Haruhi whispered back.

"So we're somehow responsible for this?"

"In his mind, yes."

"I can't believe you're going along with this," Kyouya sighed as he seated himself in a nearby chair.

"I've been with you all since I was fifteen, I'm used to it." Haruhi seated herself next to him. "And besides, you were the one who told him that you would meet with him right away. Perhaps you're secretly worried about Takumi?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Kyouya brushed off her comment. "He's a big boy—he can handle himself."

Haruhi laughed as they sat back to watch a very animated Tamaki, "All right, all right."

"They're going inside! Let's go!"

Haruhi and Kyouya were dragged into the darkened theatre and seated in the very back with everyone else so that they could keep an eye on the small couple in the middle.

"I can't believe I'm spying on my own son," Kyouya groaned as Haruhi found his hand and squeezed it gently. "This is certainly degrading the Ootori name as we speak."

"You shouldn't think of it that way," Haruhi smiled up at him. "It's been a while since _we've_ been on a date, don't you think so?"

Kyouya gazed down at her and let out a sigh as he gently kissed her on the forehead. Trust her to find the pros in such a disadvantageous situation.

"You know, I don't think Yukiko-chan is that much of a tomboy," Kyouya said as the previews began rolling on the large screen. "Didn't she say that she wanted to watch a romance movie before?"

"I'm glad they ended up watching an action film though," Haruhi murmured. "I didn't think Yuki-chan would like that romance movie very much. I think that was more Maki-chan's idea."

"The culprits would be their siblings and peers," Kyouya smirked. "I should have known."

"I can't believe they chose _this_ movie!" they could hear Maki complaining to the side. "It's boring!"

"I told him that the horror movie was the way to go!" Yuuto was complaining on the other side. "I mean, if Yuki gets scared, he can comfort her!"

"Shush, Yuuto!" Shuichi—Kaoru's son—reprimanded his cousin. "They'll hear you!"

"Yes, Yuuto," Akane scolded her brother with a whisper. "You'll blow our cover!"

"My darling Yuki," Tamaki's wavering voice could be heard over the complaints of the siblings. "My darling, darling daughter…on her first date…oh, how happy she makes daddy!"

"I don't believe this," Kyouya groaned once more as the lights in the theatre dimmed completely and the movie's opening credits began rolling.

"Now, now," Haruhi laughed lightly as she patted his hand. "You should be used to this."

"I'm not used to spying on my son's first date," Kyouya retaliated smartly.

"Well, that's true," Haruhi agreed. "Do you think we should leave then? Imagine Takumi's anger if he finds out that his parents were forced to spy on him and Yuki-chan."

"He wouldn't be angry," Kyouya said, noting that Takumi inherited his mother's more forgiving nature. "He would probably be upset that we didn't stop the idiot."

"Is there any way we can move everyone without anyone noticing us?"

"Of course," Kyouya shot his wife a mischievous grin. "Who do you think I am?"

--

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!"

"Takumi," Haruhi smiled up at her son as he came skipping into their bedroom, his brown eyes sparkling brightly. "Welcome home."

"Where's dad?" Takumi asked as he plopped down at the foot of the bed like he did every night since he was five.

"In the shower; he should be out soon." Haruhi placed down the book she was reading.

"I'm already out," Kyouya said as he walked out of the bathroom in a T-shirt and pajama pants, drying his dark hair viciously with a towel. "How was your date, Takumi?"

"It was great!" Takumi sat up excitedly. "The movie was really awesome—we ended up not watching any romance or horror movies since we didn't like either of them."

"What movie did you watch?" Kyouya asked in a very convincing tone.

"'The Lost Key'," Takumi shrugged. "The name was sketchy but we both ended up liking it a lot."

"And where did you eat afterwards?" Haruhi smiled as Kyouya joined them on the bed.

"Rosemary Gardens," Takumi gazed up at his father's face for a reaction before he quickly launched into an explanation, "I wanted to go someplace nice but not too nice because it's just a first date and it's not too expensive."

"The atmosphere is pretty nice there," Haruhi grinned up at an emotionless Kyouya. "Don't you think so, Kyouya?"

"It is nice," Kyouya offered his son a smile. "Well done."

"So?" Haruhi ran her fingers through her son's messy black hair. "How much do you like her now?"

Ootori Takumi turned bright red before he buried his face into his mother's lap.

"A lot more," Takumi grumbled into the sheets and Kyouya and Haruhi could only exchange knowing looks. Takumi sat up all of a sudden and said thoughtfully, "But I don't think Uncle Suou likes me very much."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow at Kyouya as he gave her a light shrug, "Whatever do you mean, Takumi?"

"Well, when I walked her up to the door, Uncle Suou seemed to be waiting on the other side,"

"Oh, really," Haruhi shook her head as Kyouya gave a cough. "And what did he say?"

"He thanked me really quickly and pulled her into the house as if I was going to attack them or something."

They were silent for a moment before Haruhi patted her son on the head in comfort, "I'm sure he was just worried about Yuki-chan. You know how overprotective—"—"overbearing, you mean," Kyouya scoffed under his breath—"he can be sometimes. Especially of Yuki-chan and Maki-chan."

"But it's not like I'm some kind of a stranger," Takumi began to pick moodily at the invisible fluffballs he suddenly had the power to see.

"I can talk to him if you'd like," Kyouya offered.

"No, thanks, dad," Takumi let out a laugh. "I can handle Uncle Suou by myself."

"Oh?" Kyouya inquired.

"I _am_ an Ootori, after all," Takumi gave them such a Kyouya-like smirk that Haruhi began coughing into her nightgown to stifle her laughter. "What?"

"Nothing," she smiled at her beloved son, brushing off her last laughs with a wink at a mildly amused Kyouya. "I'm sure Tamaki will appreciate you a lot more if you convinced him yourself."

"Yeah!" Takumi nodded as he jumped off their bed. "Well, I'm going to bed now. Good night, mom. Good night, dad."

"Good night!" they called after him as he ran out of their room (but not forgetting to close the door quietly).

"It's nice to know they had fun," Haruhi gazed at the closed door of the master bedroom.

"And that we didn't take any part in it?" Kyouya teased her as he pulled her down into his arms.

"That too," Haruhi expressed her amusement as she lay comfortably in her husband's arms. "And you were right."

"About?" Kyouya murmured from her hair.

"Him being home before ten," Haruhi pointed at the clock on the wall. "It's only nine forty-five."

"Huh," Kyouya said nothing more as they both fell asleep with contented smiles on their faces, forgetting completely to turn off the lights. They both slept through a night filled with phone calls and the emotional man on the other side of it.

--

**Author's Note:** Hi, everyone. Yeah, I know…I wasn't expecting myself to write an extra chapter for this story. Well, someone did suggest that I write about Hikaru and Kaoru's joint weddings, but this story obviously didn't turn out that way. I hope you all enjoyed a bit of Ootori Takumi's life with his parents. I hold Takumi dearly in my heart because 1) he's my own character and 2) he's the baby boy of my most favorite pairing in the universe (with AdaxLeon from Resident Evil 4 as a very close second): KYOUYAxHARUHI! Yay! Hopefully we'll see a bit more of him as time goes on : Maybe. Perhaps. Not sure. So please look forward to any potential future chapters of this story!

Let's get on with the family trees:

KyouyaxHaruhi: Takumi (age 13)  
TamakixAkiko: Haruka (age 15), Yusuke (age 12), Yukiko (age 11), & Maki (age 9)  
NekozawaxRenge: Rin (age 9)  
KaoruxHana: Shuichi (age 8)  
HikaruxArisa: Akane (age 8) & Yuuto (age 7)

Feedback is really appreciated. Constructive criticism is also appreciated. Mean flames are retaliated with my evil dust kitties and their water furballs...so don't try them. You'll regret it. Really.

Thank you for reading!


	3. That Troublesome Family

**Rating: **eto...PG.  
**Written for:** everyone!  
**Dedicated to:** MooCow Chizu-Chan for their wonderful idea! Thank you so much for reviewing, MooCow-san—here is that twist you asked for ;)  
**Warning: **Beware of OOCness and just general suckage! And no plot…just a drabble. (Please refer to my author's note for a clear family tree of sorts!)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran or any of its characters. They belong only to the great Bisco Hatori-sama (and BONES)...I own names you do not recognize. And why don't you recognize them? Because they're MY CHARACTERS. The end.

**Extra Chapter (2)**

--

It was a normal morning.

The Ootori family usually woke up at around the same time (or rather, the men of the Ootori family woke up at the same time—the woman of the house woke up much earlier than they did) and they always managed to sit down at the table to eat breakfast together before they all went their separate ways; Kyouya to his office at the headquarters of the Ootori Corporation, Haruhi to her office at her law firm, and their son, Takumi, to school.

The only thing different about this morning was that it was Takumi's first day as a high school student at Ouran, and he was excited. He hardly slept the night before, but he still found himself bursting with energy as he sat himself at his usual place at the table, greeting his mother and father habitually.

"Good morning, mom. Good morning, dad."

"Good morning," they replied in sync.

"Today's your first day as a high school student, isn't it?"

Takumi was surprised that his father spoke up. Usually his father was in such a bad mood in the morning that he would stay sullen and dark well until noon without speaking a single idle word to anyone. This, somehow, made Takumi's day even better.

"Yes!"

"Why are you so excited, Takumi?" Haruhi asked as her brown eyes laughed at him lightly.

Takumi loved his mother; she was such an interesting character. She was gentle and loving, but he knew, by the gods, never to cross her. She was blunt and honest when it came down to it, and whenever she was angry at his father, Takumi was sure that she could frighten even the toughest mafia boss in Japan into submission. This is probably why his father's character fit perfectly with hers—he was even tougher than a mafia boss and was sly on top of it. They balanced each other out flawlessly.

"High school sounds a lot more fun than middle school," Takumi explained. "And the high school division is on the other side of campus so Yusuke and the rest of them can't visit during their breaks." He said all of this matter-of-factly before he started on his breakfast.

"Won't you feel lonely?" Kyouya teased him, knowing very well that his son wasn't going to feel lonely at all.

"No," Takumi shot back playfully. "I'll meet new people. That's always fun."

"Where did he get that side from?" he heard his mother ask his father curiously.

"What side?"

"That friendly, social side,"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Well, it's definitely not you," Haruhi teased Kyouya. "You're the least social person I know."

_It's as if I can't hear them,_ Takumi rolled his eyes mentally as he stuffed a piece of pancake into his mouth. _They're always like this._

But it was like this every morning, so Takumi didn't bother. After all, he enjoyed listening to his parents' playful banters at the table during breakfast. He always learned something new about both of them and that made him feel…well, that made him feel extraordinary. He learned facts and intellect, and he learned about his parents and their friends—he felt as if he was reading some virtual manga and visions of these stories began filling up in his head until he wasn't sure whether he was awake or dreaming.

"I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!" They heard a scream as their front doors slammed open.

"What in the world—"

They all rushed out of their dining room (Takumi quickly stuffed the rest of his pancake into his mouth as he did so) and found Suou Haruka seething on their doormat.

"What's wrong?" Haruhi was the first one to say anything.

"'What's wrong'? 'What's _wrong_'?! MY FATHER'S HEAD IS WHAT'S WRONG!"

"Ohh dear," Mariko—their head maid and his first best friend—placed her head in her hands.

"Come in, Haruka-chan," Kyouya spoke up, gesturing for the servants to help her in. Takumi could see the amusement light up his dark eyes. "It's unsettling to be standing while discussing this sort of matter."

"What's with all this luggage, big sister?" Takumi asked curiously as he poked at her matching bags. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm living here from now on."

--

"Let's not be too hasty, Haruka-chan," Haruhi said after a moment of contemplative silence. She ushered everyone into the parlor, waving away the servants who rushed to open the doors. "Let's talk about this first, all right?"

"What's there to talk about?" Haruka said snappishly as she stalked into the neat and sunny parlor. "My father's an overbearing idiot who forces his strange, demented fantasies on his suffering children as they struggle to maintain their own individuality, and I'm sick of it. That's all there is to it."

"Big sister…" Takumi attempted to argue for his "uncle's" sake but was stopped by the evil glare Suou Haruka sent his way.

"You know that's not what your father is doing," Haruhi soothed the ruffled girl as she seated herself next to her. "He only does that because he cherishes you."

"If he cherishes us, he should just accept us as we are and stop trying to mold us into 'perfected little white swans'!" the 17-year-old girl snarled, quoting her father as she dug her nails into a nearby decorative pillow. Mariko stood in the back, wringing her hands nervously as she watched the poor pillow become more and more stretched.

"You're being ridiculous," Kyouya spoke up lazily as he took a seat across from his wife and his best friend's oldest daughter. "If that's what he wants, then give it to him. Or you could persuade one of your sisters to occupy his mind. They don't necessarily complain too much about your father, do they?"

"Well, no…" Haruka said as her gripped loosened on the pillow, much to Mariko's relief. "But I know that Yukiko hates it!"

"I understand that Yukiko still abides to your father's strange fantasies without much complaint," Kyouya said calmly. "And even if she hates it, she hasn't resorted to running away from home."

Haruka was silent, but obviously seething from her trusted Uncle Ootori's stabbing remark.

Takumi could understand why Haruka was drawn to his father. _His_ father was, after all, the complete opposite of _her_ father, and she found nearly everything about her own father to be annoying. It was only natural for her to think that his father was, well, superior.

"Now, now," Haruhi sensed the teenager's frustrations building up quickly. "Why don't you stay here for the time being?"—Takumi could see his father's lips twitch slightly—"Only for a few days."

"Little Master," Mariko spoke up nervously, as if anticipating the apocalypse. "It's time for you to go to school."

"Ah! Thanks Mariko!" Takumi glanced at his watch before rushing out of the room to grab his book-bag. "I'll see you later, mom, dad!"

"Be careful," Haruhi waved to her son as he rushed out of the door. She turned towards Haruka and smiled, "Shouldn't you be going with him, Haruka-chan?"

"Yes," she said sulkily, as she stood from her seat in the comfortable sitting room and adjusted her bag primly on her shoulder. She turned towards the two adults who have stood from their seats to see their new house guest out, "Thank you, Aunt and Uncle."

They watched the girl as she ran down the stairs to the limo that was waiting patiently for her.

"Take care!" Haruhi called out to them just as Takumi's driver shut the door behind the blonde Suou.

"Do you think it wise to have Haruka stay?" Kyouya questioned his wife as they both watched the limo disappear around the corner. "You know how protective that man is of his children—especially his first-born."

"Oh, come on, Kyouya," Haruhi shook her head at her husband. "Tamaki-senpai will be fine."

"If we receive a call from Tamaki today," Kyouya started as he pulled on his blazer, "you're taking it."

"Come now, Kyouya," Haruhi eased her arms into her jacket with the help of Mariko. "What are the odds of Tamaki-senpai demanding us to return his daughter as if we've kidnapped her?"

--

"I WANT HER BACK, YOU HEAR ME!?"

Kyouya raised an eyebrow at his wife, who had joined him for lunch, as she pulled her cell phone from her ear. He could hear every word leaving the other end of the receiver. He had no doubt that everyone else in the restaurant could hear the idiot as well.

"Tamaki-senpai, she just needs some time—"

"I WANT HER BACK RIGHT NOW!"

Kyouya sighed and deftly plucked his wife's cell phone from her hand. He spoke into the phone smoothly, "She is staying at our place to straighten out her mind. Is that a problem?"

"You bet there's a problem!" Tamaki huffed over the phone. "I want my darling daughter back right now!"

"She's in school right now, Tamaki," Kyouya leaned back in his chair as he watched his wife pick moodily at her lunch, "where you should be."

"I'm taking her home with me," the overreacting man said after a moment's pause.

"I've no objections—she's your daughter, not mine."

"Kyouya!" Haruhi whispered to him in a warning tone from across the table. "Think of Haruka's feelings!"

He covered the mouthpiece and said quietly, "This is their problem to work out, Haru, not ours."

She looked defeated for a moment before pouting cutely and taking a delicate bite of her ootoro. As she did this, she gazed up at him through those large brown eyes of hers, and he relented.

"If she refuses to return with you, Tamaki, know that she is welcomed at our place. Understood?"

"I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!"

"Good, I'll see you tonight." He hung up, cutting off the blond man's protests and handing his wife's phone back to her.

"I hope everything works out," Haruhi commented as she sat back in her seat, having finished her lunch of ootoro. She took a delicate sip of jasmine tea as he finished up his much more taste-filled lunch. "Haruka-chan and Tamaki-senpai really need to work out their differences."

"You don't suspect Takumi will end up rebelling like Haruka, do you?"

"I don't suppose so," Haruhi laughed secretly at his (poorly) hidden concerns. "You're a wonderful father to him, and I'm sure he realizes that."

Kyouya said nothing in reply to her statement, and, instead, called over the waiter for the check. He didn't notice the thoughtful gaze Haruhi had on her face as she studied him carefully.

"I am quite sure we'll be seeing Haruka in our home when Takumi comes home," Kyouya noted to his wife as they walked out of the restaurant. He gave her hand a squeeze as he helped her down the steps.

"Of course," Haruhi laughed, stepping carefully down on the marble steps. "She's far too stubborn to give in to her father that easily."

Kyouya examined her curiously, wondering when she had started being so careful when walking, but did not have the time to reflect upon it since their car was waiting for them. He helped her into the limo and had seated himself next to her when his phone rang.

"Ootori Kyouya speaking,"—he paused—"all right, I'll meet you in a moment." He turned towards Haruhi apologetically but she only smiled at him with understanding. "I'll see you at home, Haru. I'm sorry I can't escort you back to the office."

"Don't worry about it," she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

He stepped out of the limo again and waved as they drove away. The first thing he did once he turned away was find a familiar figure waving to him about ten feet away.

"Kyouya!"

--

"You seem well, Akiko,"

"So do you," Suou Akiko laughed at his formalities as they seated themselves in a nearby café. "You really don't need to be so formal around me, Kyouya."

"I am assuming you are here for Haruka," Kyouya ignored her previous comments as they ordered two cups of coffee, one black, the other with milk.

"Well, sort of," she let out a sigh. "Actually, I'm here to ask you to take care of her."

"I'm sorry?"

"I know my children very well, Kyouya," Akiko started, gazing off into the air in front of her. "And I know my husband very well. He is a darling husband and father, but I know that some of his preferences clash with my children's personalities."

"You've no idea," Kyouya mumbled underneath his breath, recalling the very angry Haruka when she first burst into the Ootori mansion.

"I believe that since Haruka chose to run to you and Haruhi, she sees you both in a much more different light than she does with her father and with the rest of our friends."

"I should hope you're not expecting us to look after her until she enters college,"

"Oh, no, no," Akiko waved a hand at his mild accusation. "I think Haruka will learn something from this experience. You and Haruhi are both so different from Tamaki and myself that I think that she will realize in time just how much her father actually loves her—not that you are incapable of loving Haruka," Akiko added hastily, "but our vast differences…"

"I understand," Kyouya reassured her. "Haruhi, too, thinks that Haruka will benefit from staying with us some short period of time."

"Oh, good," Akiko let out a relieved sigh. "I was hoping Haruhi would see it that way."

"As mothers, I can see where your similarities lie,"

Akiko smiled at her husband's best friend. Despite Tamaki's harsh words at this time (especially since he is thoroughly convinced that Kyouya had stolen his beloved Haruka away from him), she knew that her husband treasured this friend who was so giving and collected.

"A black coffee and one with milk," the waiter returned with their orders. They thanked him silently as he sauntered away to the next table.

"Yukiko wishes to visit you this afternoon," Akiko remembered suddenly of the phone call her second oldest daughter made to her just before their meeting, "I hope that's all right."

"Of course," Kyouya nodded, sipping his black coffee, "she _is _dating Takumi, is she not?"

"Yes," Akiko laughed. "But she's still such a proper girl—she wouldn't go to your house without your permission."

"And without her father's?"

"Well, that's a different matter," Akiko sighed, gazing down into her cup. "Yukiko loves Tamaki a great deal, but we cannot deny that she holds Takumi very dearly in her heart. Tamaki is exceptionally attached to our girls and does not yet believe that there are any men out there that may deserve our girls. Yukiko only argues with him when it comes to Takumi, you know. It is the only time she'll stand up to Tamaki and put her foot down."

"And Maki?"

"Little Maki loves her father's attentions," Akiko laughed at the thought of her youngest daughter, "She is the perfect girl that Tamaki envisions. But, even so, Tamaki loves Haruka and Yukiko very dearly."

"It must be difficult on Yusuke then," Kyouya was secretly glad that they only had to worry about Takumi, and should they have another addition to the Ootori family, Takumi was raised well enough to understand his role as an older brother. Not that they will as far as he knew.

"Not quite; Yusuke enjoys the freedom Tamaki gives him and occasionally teases his sister about their high-maintenance father."

"Well, I suppose normal siblings are like that," Kyouya nodded.

"I suppose so," Akiko laughed. "Although, I would never think that our family is considered normal."

Kyouya let out a soft chuckle at the very thought, "Yes, very true."

"Thank you for speaking with me," Akiko bowed to him after they've finished their coffee. "I know you are very busy."

"No need," Kyouya returned her thanks with his own bow. "I am sure Haruhi would be very happy to hear that she is not taking your daughter away from you."

Akiko laughed brightly before they separated. Oh, how thankful she was of their beloved friends!

--

"Haruhi,"

"What is it?" Haruhi gazed up from her papers to find her husband walking into her study early afternoon. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he answered easily as he seated himself in a nearby sofa. "It is surprising how the both of us got out of work early."

"You mean how Haruka-chan is unknowingly manipulating us?" Haruhi let out a laugh. "Yes, I suppose that _is_ surprising. The only other person who could manipulate you is Takumi, and even with him you won't allow that to happen."

"It is a cause of concern, you know," Kyouya said in a tone that made her become conscious that she was ruffling his feathers, "to have Tamaki's daughter living here instead of with her own family."

Haruhi stood from her seat and made her way over to him. He looked fine on the outside—well, he _was _the Shadow King after all—but she had a feeling that he was experiencing worry. She settled down in the spot next to him. "I think Haruka-chan will understand sooner or later."

"Tamaki will definitely drop by, you know." Kyouya said.

"Yes," Haruhi smiled up at him. "I asked Mariko to add three extra places to the table for dinner tonight. One for Tamaki, the others for Haruka and Yukiko."

"I am assuming that I will not be able to look forward to a peaceful dinner tonight."

"I'm afraid not," Haruhi said, almost apologetically. "But think of it this way: when Tamaki and Haruka-chan reconcile, you will have as many peaceful dinners as you want."

"You mean _if_ they reconcile." Kyouya corrected her. "We all know Tamaki's hotheadedness will drive Haruka to the brink of insanity."

"Well, you are far more level-headed than Haruka-chan, and Tamaki never drove you to the brink of insanity," Haruhi argued.

Kyouya said something underneath his breath.

"What was that?" she questioned him suspiciously.

"Nothing,"

"It wasn't 'nothing' if you said it,"

"It's not important."

"Now I know you're lying,"

"Dad said that it was because you were there that he didn't lose his sanity." They heard a voice speak up from behind them.

"Takumi!" Haruhi looked over her shoulder quickly. "Welcome home!"

"I'm home," Takumi laughed as he clambered over the back of the sofa to sit between his parents, seemingly very breathless.

"Takumi, you're not a child anymore," Kyouya smoothly reprimanded him. "There is no need to climb over the couch."

"How was the first day of high school?" Haruhi asked as she smoothed out Takumi's hair. "Did you have fun?"

"It was fine," Takumi admitted, "but Big Sister got into an argument with Uncle Suou in the middle of the corridor after school."

"What happened?" she asked, concerned.

"Well, Uncle Suou was begging Big Sister to go home with him. Then she ran away."

"Where is she now?" Kyouya was standing by this point of the conversation and was reaching for the doorknob of her study.

"We don't know," Takumi shrugged. "I thought I'd run home and tell you first before going to look for her."

"You're staying here," Kyouya said sternly as he opened the door. "Keep your mother company."

They didn't have a chance to retaliate before Kyouya closed the door. Haruhi could hear him giving out instructions in the hallway, but she did not move.

"Mom," Takumi was peering up into her face curiously.

"What is it?" she smiled at him as she leaned back into the soft cushions of the sofa. It was a very comfortable couch. Kyouya had chosen it for her the first time they went out to shop for furnishings together. She remembered how difficult it was for her to walk; being pregnant and tired all of the time, but it was still a very happy memory. She supposed that's why this couch felt surprisingly comfy.

"Are you feeling ill?"

"No, why would you say that?"

"Well," Takumi said thoughtfully, "if you were all right, you would protest against dad's orders to stay in the mansion. But you didn't say a word when he left."

Haruhi chuckled at her son's insight. He was aware of his surroundings, and watched people carefully, just like his father. "Yes, well, I think I should be resting for a while," she said vaguely. "It wouldn't do me any good to move around too much." She smiled at her son, in hope of diminishing the worries that seemed to have gathered up in his eyes. "And we should see what the chef has decided to prepare for dinner, since we're going to be having guests over."

Takumi's eyes lit up. Haruhi stood and held out her hand to her fifteen-year-old son. She wasn't expecting him to take it—he was a big boy now, after all—but he smiled up at her and took it anyway. She knew that she was going to miss the day Takumi went off to college, but then again…she smiled to herself secretly. Well, it wouldn't be so bad.

"Miss Haruhi, Little Master," Mariko knocked on the door. "You have a visitor."

"Yukiko-chan," Haruhi smiled at Takumi's girlfriend. "Welcome."

"Thank you," the young girl smiled at her. "I'm sorry for dropping by without any notice."

"Oh, not at all; your mother notified us." Haruhi ushered them out of her study to the sitting room where it was much more comfortable. "You're always welcome here, Yukiko-chan."

"Why are you here?" Takumi asked her. "You didn't tell me you were dropping by."

"Ah, it's because Sister is here," Yukiko said, seating herself primly on the sofa, "and Father is being stubborn."

"So you're here as a bridge?" Takumi asked her as he seated himself next to her.

"I suppose so," Yukiko laughed nervously. "Is that going overboard?"

"No," Takumi smiled. "I think it's nice."

Haruhi snuck out of the sitting room, winking at Mariko who was standing by the door. Mariko smiled gleefully at her, and they both laughed together. "Mariko-san, do you know what the chef is cooking tonight?"

"I will ask him, Miss Haruhi, but I think it's swordfish tonight." Mariko bowed.

"Thank you," Haruhi smiled. "Would you mind telling him to make a few dishes of vegetables and chicken for me instead of the swordfish?"

Mariko's eyes widened, "Miss Haruhi!"

"Please," she said, her smile unwavering.

"Of course, Miss Haruhi!" Mariko ran into the kitchen without another word. Haruhi smiled after the head maid and decided that she want going to finish up some of her work before Tamaki and Haruka arrived. She'll have to brace herself for something else too, but she'll get to it when came around.

--

Kyouya clicked his phone shut, letting out a slow sigh. He had sent out the highest ranking troops of his secret service to look for the girl, but they haven't seen an inkling of her. Where on earth could that girl have gone?

Leaning against the car, he watched as the wind traveled through the tall grass that lined the river. He chose this spot for the troops to report back to because it was in an open space. They could travel quickly and efficiently; not to mention once he sees them coming, he could prepare further instructions if needed.

His cell phone rang, and he picked up coolly, "Ootori Kyouya."

"Ootori-sama, section five is clear."

"Thank you," he gazed down at his watch. "Check section nine."

"Roger,"

It was taking forever, trying to find Tamaki's angry daughter. However, he could understand why she ran away in the first place. Living through seventeen years of plain torture, the only solution was to bolt while you could. He chuckled at the thought.

The wind began to blow stronger, and Kyouya pushed his black hair out of his eyes. At their corners, he saw pale yellow among the green grass. He shook his head as he headed over, only to find that his suspicions were correct.

Suou Haruka lay on the ground in her Ouran uniform, eyes closed, tears staining her cheeks. She was fast asleep, and Kyouya didn't have the heart to leave her to his troops. He bent down and lifted her figure gently.

He rested her on one side of the limo and whipped out his phone, "All troops return to their locations. The subject has been found. Thank you for your help."

"Not a problem, sir!"

"Back to the mansion, Kazuki-san," he sighed to his driver.

"Yes, sir," Kazuki bowed his head. "Shall I contact the mansion of your arrival?"

"No need," Kyouya waved a hand. "Haruhi will know."

The ride back to the mansion was quiet and peaceful. Once they reached the large doors of the Ootori mansion, Kyouya gently lifted Haruka again and made his way up the staircase. Haruka didn't have any idea that she was found, nor that her father was waiting at the mansion at that very moment, nearly ripping his silk handkerchief into shreds.

"Oh, where could my Haruka have gone?" he wailed, seated in the sitting room with Yukiko at his side, patting his hand quietly. "Why did this happen?"

"Don't tell me you have no idea why she ran off," Kyouya said irately as he strode in with Haruka in his arms. "It was a pain to find this girl."

"MY HARUKA!" Tamaki bounced off the cushion and rushed at her.

"Father," Yukiko stood in front of him primly, "you will make Sister angry again."

"Where is your mother, Takumi?" Kyouya asked as he laid the stirring girl on the sofa that Tamaki and Yukiko were originally sitting on.

"In the dining room, doing last-minute dinner preparations. She left five minutes ago, saying that you were arriving soon. Shall I call her?"

"No, I will find her myself. Look after them, please," Kyouya left Takumi to find Haruhi, though not before ruffling his hair affectionately. She was where their son said she was: in the dining room, setting down a centerpiece. She lifted her head once she sensed him approaching, "Welcome home, Kyouya."

"I'm home," he murmured as he kissed her cheek. "There's really no need to go all-out for this."

"Oh, don't worry," Haruhi smiled sweetly up at him. "It's nice once in a while, don't you think?"

Kyouya gazed down at her curiously. She was acting strangely lately—a bit more cheerful, but tired. When was the last time he saw her like this?

"Miss Haruhi," Mariko opened the door to the kitchen. "When would you like dinner to be served?"

"In a few minutes," she smiled. She turned towards him, "Will you please bring them in, Kyouya?"

He nodded and stepped out of the room, mind still whirring with the sudden change in Haruhi. It was so familiar, but why couldn't he remember? That was a bit out-of-character of him.

"I'm not coming home, and that's final!" Kyouya could hear Haruka say stubbornly.

"Haruka!" Tamaki had tears in his eyes and he was on his knees. "Please come home with me!"

"Tamaki," Kyouya grabbed his arm and hoisted the sobbing man onto his feet. "There is no need to beg."

"She won't come home, Kyouya!" Tamaki was in hysterics. "What else can I do?"

"Why don't we sit down for dinner first?" Kyouya suggested as he led the sniffling Tamaki out of the sitting room with the children in tow. "Some food in your system will help you think better."

"Yes," Tamaki wiped his eyes with his shredded handkerchief, "yes, you're right, Kyouya. Thank you, my friend."

Kyouya said nothing as they entered the beautifully decorated dining room. It was spacious, but not too much that it made silence unbearable. There were portraits hanging on the walls that gave the space an artistic splash, but Haruhi made sure that the artistic splash was just a splash by placing flowers in the corners of the room and limiting the amount of portraits hung on the cream-colored walls.

As they seated themselves at the long table, Kyouya noticed Mariko peeking into the dining room frequently with a strange look on her face.

"Is there something the matter, Mariko?" he raised his voice so that she was aware that he caught her unusual behavior.

"N-no, sir!" she squeaked, letting go of the door so that it smacked her in the forehead. She stuck her head out with her hand at her forehead. "The food will be right out!"

"Kyouya," Haruhi gazed at him reprovingly as he chuckled at their head maid's nervous reaction. "That wasn't nice."

"Come now, Haruhi," he said as he turned his attention to Tamaki who was glancing over at his daughter with big watery eyes. "She knows I mean no harm."

"I don't know about that," Haruhi sighed to herself as she placed her napkin daintily on her lap. "You really are frightening sometimes."

"Father, will you please stop looking at me that way?"

"But Haruka!"

"Father," Yukiko said soothingly. "We are guests at the Ootori mansion, so please behave yourself. You too, Sister."

Haruka hmph'd and looked away. Tamaki sniffled in his seat and stared down at the laced placemat in front of him.

"Dinner is served," Tachibana said cordially as he pushed open the kitchen doors.

A line of waiters entered the room, carrying large silver trays. They settled behind every occupant in the room and placed their plates down with style. A few other waiters placed down a few baskets of bread, and they all stepped away respectfully.

Kyouya's eyes immediately caught the difference in Haruhi's plate. It was filled with vegetables and a few pieces of lightly-herbed chicken. A lightbulb went off in his head.

"Sister, don't you think you've put Father in enough agony?" Yukiko was trying to console her father and persuade her sister at the same time.

"Not until he stops torturing me and forcing his sick fantasies on me!" Haruka stuffed a bite of swordfish into her mouth in rebellion.

"Haruka," Tamaki sighed as he placed down his fork and knife. "It's not that Daddy is forcing anything onto you,"

"And don't call yourself 'Daddy'!" Haruka cried out, a look of utmost disgust was obvious on her face. "I'm fifteen! It's disgusting!"

"Haruhi," Kyouya attempted to capture his wife's attention.

"Now, now," Haruhi laughed nervously, not hearing her husband's call. "There's nothing wrong with your father referring to himself as 'Daddy',"

"Uncle Ootori doesn't do that to Takumi!"

"Haruhi,"

"Father isn't Uncle Ootori," Yukiko stated firmly. She placed her utensils down and wiped her mouth daintily. "Sister, don't you think you should love Father for who he is rather than compare him to Uncle?"

Haruka was silent, obviously seething.

"I think that Uncle Suou is fun," Takumi finally spoke up, his dark eyes carefully veiled by his hair. He caught Haruka's angry glare and said quietly, "At least that's what I think."

"Thank you," Tamaki smiled at them. He gazed seriously at Haruka, "If you really are unhappy with me, Haruka, I will not object to your moving in with the Ootori family."

"What?!" Kyouya heard himself exclaim with Haruhi.

"I apologize if it's a bother," Tamaki let out a sigh. "But there's nothing I can do."

"That's why I hate you," Haruka stood from her seat. "Why won't you work things out with me? Why do you have to force your dumb fantasies onto me? Why won't you compromise? You're always busy dressing me up, but you've never asked me what I want to wear!"

"Sister!" Yukiko cried out as Haruka left the dining room in a rush.

"I'm sorry," Tamaki stood from his seat.

"Go ahead," Kyouya nodded to him. He saw Takumi edging in his seat, gazing over at an equally edgy Yukiko. "You two may leave too."

They disappeared within seconds.

Kyouya observed his wife as she let out a sigh before asking casually, "Were you craving vegetables and chicken today, Haruhi?"

"You could say that," Haruhi smiled at him, eyes sparkling at him teasingly.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked, reaching over to take her hand, squeezing it lightly.

"I found out yesterday when I went for my check-up," Haruhi explained. "But I didn't have the chance to tell you the good news."

"Ah, we were interrupted all today, weren't we?" Kyouya gave a chuckle.

"Breakfast, lunch, and dinner," Haruhi laughed. They gazed at each other through smiling eyes before Takumi rushed back in.

"Mom! Dad! Big Sister is running away!"

Kyouya patted his son on the head as he stood. "Stay here with your mother, Takumi."

"I'm coming with you," Haruhi said just as he walked toward the door. "That means Takumi is coming too."

Takumi went out after them, Kyouya in the lead. The front doors of the mansion was open, and he could see Haruka nearing the gates as Tamaki cursed himself, seated on the bottom step of the staircase with Yukiko calmly rubbing his back.

"What are you doing, idiot?" Kyouya knocked the blond on the head with a knuckle. "Go after her."

"What can I do, Kyouya?" Tamaki sighed, pressing his eyes against the palms of his hands. "She hates me. If I keep going after her, she'll just hate me even more."

"Haruka-chan wants to know that you want her as a daughter," Haruhi placed her hand on Tamaki's shoulder. "If you chase after her and compromise, don't you think you two will have the ability to work things out?"

"I'll run after her," Takumi volunteered.

"Takumi, this is none of your business," Kyouya said, knocking his son lightly in the head. "This is something that Tamaki and Haruka need to figure out for themselves."

"But she'll never listen," Takumi argued. "Not unless someone tells her."

"Sister doesn't listen to anyone," Yukiko said quietly as she smiled at her teary-eyed father. "But she listens to Father, even though she says she doesn't want to."

Tamaki smiled at his second eldest daughter and hugged her tightly, "Thank you, my darling Yukiko." Yukiko smiled as she wrapped her arms around her father.

"I'll talk to her," Haruhi said, placing a hand at Kyouya's arm. "Maybe she'll listen."

"And if she doesn't?" Kyouya questioned her.

"Then she can stay here for as long as she likes," Haruhi shrugged.

"I disapprove," Kyouya growled beneath his breath.

She laughed and said quietly, "She'll go home tonight, Kyouya. I promise."

Kyouya watched as Haruhi pulled away and headed carefully in Haruka's direction. He could only hope that the girl was going home tonight or else he'll have to prepare another room for Tamaki.

--

"Haruka-chan," Haruka gazed up at the pretty face of her aunt Ootori Haruhi. She mumbled, "yes?" as she stared out into the garden. Haruhi laughed, "Don't you think you should go back to your father?"

"No," Haruka buried her face into her knees. "I don't want to go back."

"And why not?" Haruhi seated herself next to her and stared out into the garden with her.

"Father doesn't love me as much as my other sisters," Haruka said, voice muffled by her yellow dress. "I'm the bad one in the family."

"Now, you know that's not true, Haruka-chan," Haruhi consoled her.

"But it is!"

"And why do you think that?"

"Because he said so!"

"Your father would never say such a thing," Haruhi sounded disbelieving.

"But he did!" Haruka argued. "He told Mother that I'm the least girl-like of his daughters!"

"And then you proceeded to run away right after that, right?" Haruka fell silent at Haruhi's accuracy. She heard Haruhi sigh before a hand patted her on the back, "Haruka-chan. Your father cherishes you; why don't you talk to him about that?"

"What if it's true?" Haruka felt tears rise up in her eyes. "What if he really doesn't love me?"

"Then you won't have to worry anymore," Haruhi said in a soothing voice. "At least you'll know for sure, right?" Haruka could only nod, lifting her head to daintily wipe her tears away. "Now let's go back, and you can have a nice chat with your father."

Haruka stood and walked back to the mansion after Haruhi, keeping her head lowered, hiding her tears.

"Haruka!" she could hear her father cry out. "You've returned!"

"Tamaki," Uncle Ootori's voice sounded strangely firm.

"Sister," Yukiko murmured quietly. Haruka raised her eyes to meet her younger sister's eyes. Yukiko smiled in that gentle manner and gave her a nod.

Haruka swallowed and gazed up at the expectant expression of Tamaki's face, "Father."

"Yes?" Tamaki seemed to be fidgeting.

"I hate you,"

A still and eerie silence followed her statement, and she found the violet eyes of her father watering.

"Haruka," Haruhi nudged her with a hint of disapproval.

"I hate you when you force me to do things I don't want to do," Haruka corrected herself loudly. "I'm sorry if I can't be that perfect angel that you envisioned."

"Oh, Haruka," Tamaki let out a sigh as he took a step towards her. "I love you just the way you are." He smiled at her warmly and patted her on the head. "If you don't want to do something, you should tell me."

"But I have!" Haruka argued. "Every time I do, you start crying!"

"That's because you are such a beautiful girl," Tamaki said, unfazed, still speaking in a calm voice, "and it is a shame that such a beautiful girl doesn't want to dress up in beautiful clothes."

Haruka's eyes welled up in tears, and she sniffed. Tamaki opened his arms widely, "Come here, Haruka."

She allowed herself to cry as she ran into her father's arms, "I'm sorry, Father! I'm sorry!" She missed the happy glow that radiated from her father's face, but she felt the warmth from his arms, and that was enough.

--

Kyouya stood to the side as Takumi and Haruhi waved good-bye to the Suou limo as it disappeared around the corner. He was quite thankful that the Suou family had worked out some of its kinks and left their calm lives in peace.

"I'm going to do my homework now," Takumi said as he attempted to hide a yawn. "It's been a long day."

"Takumi," Kyouya stopped him as he seated himself at the top of the marble staircase. He patted the seat next to himself, "we need to talk to you."

"What?" Takumi asked curiously as he seated himself cautiously. "I swear I'll get my homework done tonight, dad! I won't play Biohazard until I'm finished!"

Kyouya chuckled as he patted his son on the back reassuringly, "I'm not going to talk about your gaming habits, Takumi."

"Oh," Takumi fell silent. "Then what are we talking about?"

"What do you feel about being a big brother?" Haruhi asked, seating herself on the other side of Takumi.

Takumi's face lightened up and a smile spread across his lips as he asked cautiously, "Am I going to be one?"

"Yes," Haruhi answered him with one of her irresistible smiles. Kyouya was sure that should Takumi not like the idea of having a sibling, that smile would change his mind in an instant.

"That's great!" Takumi exclaimed. "I've always wanted a sibling! Is it a girl or a boy? Do you know yet? Did you decide on names yet? Can I name them?"

Takumi's excitement was very contagious. The servants at the door heard the news and all rushed out, asking questions. Their congratulations floated through the entire mansion, bringing out more of their help. It also carried throughout the large gardens, gathering out all of their outside help until the entirety of the marble stairs were filled with voices of excitement.

He watched as Haruhi was bombarded with smiles, words, and hugs. He caught her eye in the midst of all of that, and she gave him that smile she reserved for him. Letting out a laugh, he stood. The moment the large group sensed his movements, they tore themselves away from their beloved mistress and stood to the side, watching them.

She only gazed up at him, smiling, before taking his outstretched hand. Kyouya patted Takumi on the head, and the boy scampered to his feet. Then, without any warning, he embraced them both tightly.

"Kyouya?"

"Dad?"

"Shh," he hushed them. "Just be quiet."

They heeded his request, and Kyouya smiled. He never imagined that he could feel this way before. It truly was a blessing to have met Haruhi, to have fallen in love with her, and to create a family with her. At this very moment, he felt as if time has stopped and that he was living in a time called "forever."

--

**Author's Note:** I'm planning on this being the end for Itsu Made Mou, but then again, I never really follow through with these sorts of plans, so I'm guessing there will be more coming your way! YAY!

I won't be updating in over four months. Yes, I'm sorry, I'm sorry (I've already done that enough, I know!), but my internship this summer requires me to be completely focused. And, as I have mentioned before in Invisible, I am dropping chaptered fanfiction. I am concentrating on original short stories now, so I hope that, should I ever get published, some of you will pick up the magazine/book and flip through it at least! ;)

"Mariko" – original character that only shows up briefly in Touch of Serenity. She is very important to the Ootori family.  
"big sister" – Takumi calls her this because they grew up together, and she is older than he is.  
"ootoro" – Haruhi's favorite fatty tuna!  
"Tachibana" – he is not my character. He's actually Hatori-sensei's character. Tachibana is one of Kyouya's bodyguards, along with two others.  
"Biohazard" – in America, the video game is called "Resident Evil." For those of you who have never played Biohazard before, I highly recommend it. This game (or more specifically "Biohazard 4") got me into gaming. It doesn't hurt that Leon Scott Kennedy is a hottie or that Ada Wong is a kickass sweetie ) And kicking zombie ass is FUN. And stress-relieving!

KyouyaxHaruhi: Takumi (age 15)  
TamakixAkiko: Haruka (age 17), Yusuke (age 14), Yukiko (age 13), & Maki (age 11)


	4. That Little Miracle

**Rating:** PG

**Written for:** the heck of it. And because I've had this story written, but I never finished it. I've always loved the idea of Takumi struggling with being a big brother.

**Warning:** A little OOCness, but it's set in the future, and Kyouya and Haruhi are married so... (read Kimi no Koe first to understand said OOCness!) And this isn't BETA'd. Anyone interested in being one? PM me and we'll discuss details!

**Disclaimer:** Y'all know the drill. I don't own anything I'm not supposed to. Yuno and Takumi are my characters, everything else is respectively Bisco Hatori's and BONES and FUNimation's. I'm just in my KyouxHaru withdrawal stage.

**That Little Miracle…**

It was like it was fifteen years ago. They were awoken by a shrill cry from the nursery connected to their bedroom, and Kyouya had urged her to continue to sleep as he slipped on his glasses and disappeared behind the door. Except this time, instead of watching her husband rocking their son to sleep, he was rocking their daughter to sleep.

Haruhi peeked through the gap in the door, smiling as she heard a deep hum and the soft gargle of their new daughter. He was standing next to the baby pink crib, holding an equally pink bundle in his arms, and humming a random tune that he must have picked up from Tamaki during dinner earlier.

"Mother?" a soft yawn came from behind her.

"Shh," she placed her finger to her lips at their fifteen-year-old son, Takumi. "Your father is putting Yuno to sleep."

"No wonder she got quiet so fast," Takumi said as he sat at Haruhi's feet next to the open door. "She's always so fussy when I try."

"That's because your father had experience with you," Haruhi laughed. She ruffled his hair and was surprised to find him unresisting. "You were fussier than Yuno when you were born."

"Didn't Uncle Tamaki say something about Yuno liking good-looking men?"

"Why would you listen to Tamaki about that?" Haruhi placed a hand on her hips. "Yuno just has a certain attachment to your father. That's all."

"I find it unfair that she likes you and father, but she doesn't like me at all."

"Oh, don't say that." Haruhi seated herself next to Takumi, still listening to Kyouya's humming. "She'll warm up to you. She warmed up to Tamaki's son, didn't she? Yusuke?"

"She warmed up to all of them except me," Takumi said with slight frustration in his voice. "Especially to Hitachiin Yuuto. It makes me sick to see him goo-goo over her."

"Now, Takumi," Haruhi reprimanded, "you know very well that you shouldn't say things like that."

"But she doesn't like me. My own little sister doesn't like me."

"Don't be ridiculous." Haruhi whapped him on the head a couple of times with her knuckles. "Yuno loves you."

"Yeah, right. And I'm the King of England."

Haruhi sighed and tried a different approach, "Yuno's a little bit like your father."

"What do you mean?"

"Think of it this way: you've seen how your father treats Uncle Tamaki, haven't you?"

"Yeah…?"

"But you know that your father respects him and loves him like a brother, even though he'll never admit it, right?"

"Yeah…?"

"Don't you think Yuno might have acquired that from your father?"

Takumi was silent in contemplation. Truth is, he'd never thought of his little sister that way. If she was exactly how his mother said it to be (and mother is not one to be questioned), then Yuno was going to be hell to raise. It'll be even harder to him to connect with her because he'll be going off to college soon and getting a place of his own. They'll be strangers with the same parents.

Also, do babies even have the mental capacities to be clever enough to pull off something like that?

"What are you two doing on the floor?" Kyouya's voice came from the door. They both gazed up to find him patting Yuno's back gently. "We have chairs in the house for a reason."

Haruhi smiled as she stood and headed for one of the comfy chairs in their room. Kyouya followed, but Takumi remained on the floor.

"I'm not going to tell you twice, Takumi."

Takumi wordlessly obeyed and seated himself in the chair left unattended—right between them.

"Takumi, don't you think you should try to get to know her before you graduate?"

"I don't think she'd remember, Father."

"Take her." Kyouya placed Yuno in his unwilling arms and sat back in his chair to close his eyes.

"Um," Takumi held the wide-eyed Yuno at arm's length, eyeing her suspiciously. He could see wavering in her dark eyes, and he swallowed hard. "W-what do I do?"

"You hold her," Haruhi took Yuno and pressed her small body into his shoulder, "like this."

Takumi could feel Yuno struggling, and he immediately pulled her away only to hear her let out a whimper.

"I-I can't do it." He pushed Yuno back into his mother's arms and stalked out of the room.

Once he closed the door behind him, he started running. Takumi could hear his mother chasing after him but he didn't want to talk to her. Instead, he rounded the corner to his room, passed it, and ran down the stairs, into the kitchen, and out the back door. He could feel the autumn wind brushing against his skin, as if trying to push him back into the house where he could hear a long wail trailing after him.

He'd always go to the boathouse located just on the edge of the lake and sit among his father's boats with all of their glory. Just because it was their place. It was his place. However, he walked passed the big white boats, and settled into an old wooden canoe that he remembered his father taking him out in on his sixth birthday.

He knew better than to row himself out onto the lake at this time of night, but he couldn't resist setting the oars in the water and weaving through the other boats in the boathouse. He needed something to do. At least something that could push away all feelings of guilt and shame for not being able to connect with his own baby sister.

After a while, he tied the boat back up and stretched out on his back, running an idle finger over the oar, staring at the whitewashed ceiling.

He was fifteen. Almost old enough to be out on his own and make something of himself, but he couldn't quite understand why he had no urge, no motivation, to actually go out and do something. Something that will make his father proud and his mother beam in joy.

He wanted something else. He just didn't know what.

Takumi let out a sigh and covered his eyes with his arm. He remembered of an incident one day when his father had taken him out on this very boat, out to the forest on the other side, where they explored the woods together for creatures.

At the time, Takumi was attached to a teddy bear named Kuma-chan. In fact, now that he thought about it, it looked strangely similar to the worn teddy bear that Uncle Tamaki had at the head of his bed, except his Kuma-chan had a bright ribbon tied around its neck. Takumi dragged that little bear everywhere he went, and the boat trips with his father were no different.

That childish glee at the blue sky, the deep blue water, and the various fish gliding away from the graceful strokes of the oars from his father's precise timing and elegance. He always felt so grown up whenever they rowed out of the boathouse, waving good-bye to his mother, who stood at the dock calling out to him to please sit down and be careful.

Takumi sighed, stretching his arms above his head. He's too old for it now.

"What are you doing, Takumi?"

Takumi's eyes snapped open to find his father standing at the dock, arms crossed, dark hair windblown. He was wearing a sweater over a pair of his usual pajama pants, which indicated that he had stopped Haruhi from running after their son and slipped on a sweater, heading out of the doors to bring back their son himself.

"Nothing," Takumi mumbled, turning his head away.

"Let's go for a row," Kyouya stepped into the boat, and Takumi shot up out of his seat.

"It's fine, father,"

"Let's go." Kyouya's voice had no room for argument.

Takumi wordlessly untied the rope, feeling the prickles of the rope cut into his skin as he let it slide out of his hands. His father passed him an oar, and they began to paddle out into the darkness.

As the dim lights of the boathouse began to disappear behind them, Takumi tucked a knee beneath his chin, hand idle on the oar. His father's back rose and fell with his strokes. Takumi thought he heard Yuno's cry from the docks, and he looked back, trying to get a glimpse of his mother and sister but could not.

After rowing what Takumi estimated was out in the middle of the lake, he saw his father stop rowing, and they sat there, in a deadly tortured silence. After a while, however, the deep tenors of frogs, the violin sounds of crickets, and the songs of the night birds broke the stifling silence.

"Takumi,"

"Yes, father."

"Did I ever tell you about your uncles?"

Takumi furrowed his brow, thinking about his uncles and realizing that he couldn't even remember their faces.

"No. Actually, I don't think I've ever met them."

"You have," Kyouya's tone was undecipherable. "When you were about Yuno's age."

"Oh," Takumi was silent. "What about them?"

"They were all assholes," Kyouya said. Takumi did a double-take. Before he could comment or react, Kyouya continued, "they were assholes because we were all close in age and none of us had the decency of understanding what it meant to be a family.

"Your mother wanted them in your lives, and so we reached out to them. But by that time," Kyouya sighed, and Takumi could hear him turning in his seat to face him. "By that time, it was too late. We were like strangers. No matter how much we tried, we couldn't work things out. It was too late."

Takumi never thought of his father's blood-brothers as his uncles. His uncles were always, unchangingly, Uncles Tamaki, Mori, Hani, Kaoru, and Hikaru. They were the ones that fought with Kyouya, that brought over Christmas presents, that spent New Years with them. And his friends, their offspring, were his family—with the exception of Yukiko whom he had always thought was his soulmate.

"Takumi," Takumi could feel his father's warm hands at his head, "I know that you can find family within friends and those close to you, but do not forget the family that connects you by blood. Sometimes that can be the deepest connection you have with people."

"Father, you're generalizing," Takumi shook away his father's hand. "Not all connections go deep. The Ootori family proves that."

Kyouya chuckled darkly, reaching his hand out again to his son, "That's because the Ootori family doesn't know how to give in to that. A relationship works both ways, Takumi. Sometimes it doesn't work out, it's true, but when both give in a little, the world opens up and new connections are made."

Takumi said nothing, staring out into the dark expanse of the Ootori property. He couldn't understand the importance of what his father was saying. His father was doing well without those brothers, so why is that important?

Besides, Takumi thought bitterly, she doesn't even like me. And I'm her brother.

"Babies are sensitive, you know," Kyouya spoke up.

Takumi was starting to understand why his mother got into heated arguments with his father sometimes. He was like a mind reader, and it was irritating.

"I know."

"No," Kyouya shook his head, removing his hand to cross in front of him. "They are sensitive to emotion. To others' emotions." Kyouya's eyes were lit up by the moon. "Yuno can feel your hesitation. It doesn't make her feel safe and comforted. So she cries."

Takumi turned away. After a moment's silence, Kyouya let out a sigh, "Think about that, Takumi. It might help."

They rowed back to the boathouse, and Takumi could see his mother still standing at the dock, holding a giggling Yuno in her arms.

"Takumi," she let out a breath of relief. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, mother."

She stepped back as he hopped out of the boat and headed back to the house. Her eyes met her husband's with worry, and he only shook his head.

"I tried, Haruhi,"

She nodded, holding out a free hand to him. They headed up to the house in silence. Placing the sleeping Yuno in her crib, they went back to sleep.

Haruhi heard Yuno crying again, and she groaned as she sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"I'll go," she kissed Kyouya gently as he made to get up. "It's my turn."

As she headed towards the door, Yuno's crying suddenly stopped. Curious, she peeked through the crack in the adjoining door and saw the dark figure of her son holding his sister to his chest protectively.

"I'm sorry," she heard him murmur. "I'm not good with my feelings. Please be patient with me?" Yuno answered with a soft gurgle, and she heard him laugh. "Don't tell dad yet, okay? And you are to stay far, far away from Yusuke." There was a silence and just as Haruhi turned to head back to bed, she heard, "I'll protect you. I promise. I'll try to be the best big brother you'll ever have."

Haruhi slipped back under the covers, hand searching for Kyouya's.

"That was quick," he murmured.

"Yes," she smiled against his neck. "Kyouya?"

"Mm?"

"What did you tell Takumi on the lake?"

"About my brothers."

"I see," Haruhi closed her eyes.

"Haruhi," Kyouya's voice wavered, and she kissed the underside of his jaw gently in reply. "Would you mind if I invite my brothers to dinner sometime?"

She smiled, "Not at all."

**Author's Note:** So I've brought back 'Endless Story', and I discovered that I have a few chapters of this series that I started, but didn't finish, so I'm doing that now. Review if you'd like; constructive criticism is always appreciated. Hateful, angry flames, however, are NOT appreciated, and my army of zombified kitties will not hesitate to chew you up. :)

KyouyaxHaruhi: Takumi (age 15); Yuno (age 8 months)  
TamakixAkiko: Haruka (age 17), Yusuke (age 14), Yukiko (age 13), & Maki (age 11)


	5. That First Day

**Rating:** PG

**Written for:** again, the heck of it. Because I can, and because I'm in Bangkok right now, waiting for the night to be over so that I can get some business done!

**Warning:** A little OOCness, but it's set in the future, and Kyouya and Haruhi are married so... (read Kimi no Koe first to understand said OOCness!) And this isn't BETA'd. Anyone interested in being one? PM me and we'll discuss details!

**Disclaimer:** Y'all know the drill. I don't own anything I'm not supposed to. Yuno and Takumi are my characters, everything else is respectively Bisco Hatori's and BONES and FUNimation's. I'm so honest!

**That First Day…**

"Good morning, Mommy! Good morning, Daddy!"

"Good morning, Yuno."

The five-year-old struggled onto her seat as her mother and father watched from behind their newspapers and planners.

"Are you excited, Yuno?" Haruhi asked as she took a sip of morning green tea.

"Yes!" Yuno remembered to place the napkin on her lap before beginning her breakfast.

"I don't see why you want to walk to school alone, Yuno," Kyouya muttered from behind the newspaper. "You know you have access to the car."

"It'll be fun!" Yuno said. "And besides, Big Brother does it all the time."

"That's because he's starting off on his own," Haruhi reminded her. "He made a deal with your father when he graduated Ouran High."

"And he doesn't live far from work," Kyouya chimed in.

Haruhi gave her daughter a smile and a wink from behind her cup, "But we made a deal, didn't we, Yuno?"

"Yes, mom."

"And what kind of a deal was made?" Her husband was uncharacteristically curious.

Yuno exchanged looks with her mother, "Nothing."

Kyouya gave both of the most important females in his life suspicious looks, but said nothing as he resumed the reading of his morning paper, "Yuno, you know you have to visit Aunt Fuyuki tonight, don't you?"

"Yes, dad,"

"I'll have Takeshi pick you up from school."

"But Take-san has the day off today, doesn't he?" Haruhi shot a glare over her teacup. "I'll pick her up after work."

"It's okay," Yuno chirped as she took a gulp of orange juice. "I can walk home!"

"Now—," Kyouya began to protest before Haruhi placed a hand at his arm.

"And why not?" Haruhi smiled. "If Yuno can go to school alone, then she should be able to come home alone. And Satoshi will be home to open the doors for her. He'll take her to Fuyuki's."

They finished breakfast without another discussion about Yuno's trip to school. Haruhi wasn't about to admit it to her husband, but she was nervous. Takumi had never wanted to walk to school by himself at her age. But, she allowed herself to let out a breath, it was a good opportunity for Yuno to become more independent. Haruhi's eyes softened at her daughter munching away happily on a piece of buttered toast. Yuno's soft brown hair contrasted the deep grey eyes of her father's, and her smile was sweet and, at the moment, buttery.

"Mom, is big brother going to be at Aunt Fuyumi's house today?"

"Yes," Haruhi raised a napkin and wiped Yuno's mouth. "He'll be there."

"Yay!" Yuno wiggled in her seat so that she landed safely on her tiptoes. "I'm going to get my book bag!"

Haruhi risked a glance in Kyouya's direction and found him staring intently at the same page of the newspaper that he was reading before they came down to breakfast.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, a bit casually.

Kyouya didn't answer and she stifled a small giggle. Even though she was nervous, she knew that Kyouya was even more so.

"Don't get any silly ideas, Kyouya," Haruhi said, finishing her cup of tea. "Now, I made your entire SWAT team promise that they won't be tailing her—as well as the servants and anyone under your influence."

Kyouya clicked his tongue in disappointment, and Haruhi stood. She headed to his seat and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. She gently kissed his dark hair and murmured, "Please don't worry so much, dear."

He let out a sigh as he placed a hand at hers, "I'll try not to."

"Mom! Dad! I'm ready!" Yuno stood at the dining room door, her lavender backpack strapped on tightly to her back. Her school uniform was a size too big, but Haruhi wasn't worried. Children grew fast. Before they knew it, they'll need to buy her another uniform.

"We'll see you to the gate, sweetie," Kyouya stood quickly, clearing his throat.

"It's okay, dad!" Yuno gave him a grin, tiny teeth gleaming at him cheerfully.

"Now, you know the way, don't you, sweetheart?" Haruhi walked with Yuno out of the main doors, straightening Yuno's bright yellow hat that complimented the baby blue uniform.

"Yes, mom," Yuno gave Haruhi a silly salute. "Straight out the gate, turn—" Yuno paused, staring down at her fingers, trying to determine which hand made the letter 'L', "—right. Keep walking. Turn right at the bakery, and school is after two big Christmas lights!"

"Street lights, Yuno," Kyouya gently corrected her. "And what do you do at the intersection?" He was running a hand through his hair.

"Stop. When the light is green, look right. Look left. Look right again. Look left again. And then run when there are no cars," Yuno recited.

"No running," Kyouya said. "Just walk carefully."

"Good girl," Haruhi kissed her on the forehead. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!"

Haruhi could have sworn Kyouya mutter 'no' at the edge of his mouth, but she ignored him and gave Yuno an encouraging little push.

Yuno skipped to the bottom of the stairs, turned, and grinned up at them, waving her arms. They watched as she skipped to the gate, turned, and waved again. She disappeared around the corner, and Haruhi let out a sigh.

"Well," Kyouya cleared his throat as he put on his coat. "I should be heading off to work."

"Have a good day," Haruhi smiled as he bent down to kiss her. "And don't worry about Yuno. She'll be fine."

He smiled briefly and gestured for Satoshi to open the car door. As Haruhi watched him disappear out of the gates, she slipped into comfortable flats, grabbed a jacket and her keys. She winked at the servants, and jogged out of the gates just fast enough to catch Yuno skipping past the edge of the Ootori estate.

She was careful to keep her distance, hiding behind mailboxes and lampposts. As she did this, she laughed at herself for doing something Tamaki would have done with his daughters. _But,_ she chided herself, _this is the first day Yuno is walking to school by herself. After this, I won't follow her. _And still, Haruhi couldn't help but tell herself that perhaps following twice a week for a while won't hurt.

As Yuno passed the grocery store, Haruhi could see Yuno slowing down to admire the shining vegetables and fruits. Yuno never really liked eating vegetables, but she always stopped at the grocery store to admire them. She told Haruhi that she liked the colors.

"Good morning, Yuno-chan!"

"Good morning, oji-san!" Yuno was polite, even though they've known the family for years.

"Are you walking to school alone today?" the grocer's wife asked Yuno.

"Yes, oba-san," Yuno beamed. "Mommy and Daddy let me do that today!"

"My, my," the older woman smiled. "And did you bring your lunch today?"

"Yes, oba-san!"

"What a good girl! You should head to school before you are late!"

"Thank you, oba-san, oji-san! Bye bye!"

Yuno skipped ahead. She was running her fingers over the store windows, greeting people who greeted her with the familiar "Hello, Yuno-chan!" Haruhi never realized how much people on their street liked her so much.

At the bakery, Yuno slowed again, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Haruhi smiled. She remembered the first day Kyouya brought home freshly baked bread from this bakery. Yuno, even as a baby, quieted from one of her tantrums and eyed the food curiously. Takumi, still at home at the time, saw Yuno's curiosity and broke off a piece of the bread. He dipped it in milk and offered it to her. She was so obedient, and her large eyes grew wide and she laughed. It had been her first laugh too. Haruhi let out a sigh and follow Yuno around the corner.

Two more Christmas lights to go.

* * *

Kyouya saw Yuno stop at the bakery and smiled to himself. He was across the street, making sure that nothing happened to Yuno on the way to school. He told Satoshi to drop him off a little further down the road and to await further instructions.

He couldn't imagine Yuno grown up already. Her first laugh, her first steps—he never missed any of it, but it still felt as if time was moving fast. Too fast for his liking. He had always wanted a daughter, and now that they had one, he wasn't quite sure how to father her. Takumi had always been different—a little rascal, mischievous, but always mindful of his manners and propriety. With Yuno, he felt as if he was possibly overprotective, and still, he wasn't protecting her enough. Takumi had never given him this grief.

Behind Yuno, following closely, was Haruhi. He chuckled. Haruhi had been the one who spent at least a week convincing him to let Yuno walk alone, and there she was, tailing their daughter as he was. However, he couldn't find himself angry at her. She was his other half. Where he was overprotective, she was coaxing him to lower his guard. Where he was lax, she was more firm. They've never had a misunderstanding on how they were going to raise their children, but he wondered if Yuno and Haruhi's female relationship and mutual understanding was going to be the death of him.

Yuno stopped at the first street light. She did as he had told her, and quickly made her way across the street. First light down. One more to go. He hadn't been so much concerned with the first one as he was the second one. The second one was the main street, where cars and motorbikes and bicycles and fast-paced pedestrians were fighting for the road and the streets.

When Yuno was born, Kyouya had vowed that he was going to double his efforts to protect her. If he couldn't protect his own daughter, he wouldn't know what to do with himself. But he realized during the first stretch of this stressful walk that there were those who would help to protect her, even without his asking for help.

Kyouya let out a sigh as Yuno stopped, eyeing the little toy vending machines lined up outside of the small convenience store. Her face broke into a smile as she headed inside of the store.

"What is that girl doing?"

He took a peek at his wife and saw that she was smiling. All previous worry (many of them currently age inappropriate) evaporated at the sight of his wife's smile. Yuno left the store again, this time holding what seemed like coins in her hands. She was careful and loving as she carefully placed the coins in the slot, turned the knob with intensity, and wrapped her fingers around a Pokeball-looking object. She took off her backpack, opened the top, popped the object into her backpack, zipped it back up, and resumed walking to school, this time with her chest puffed out slightly higher.

Kyouya could see the second streetlight coming up and his skin was starting to itch.

"Come on, Yuno, you can do it."

He was afraid that one day he was going to lose his daughter to some man. Any man. He would spend his entire life dedicated to this beautiful little girl and in an instant, she could be taken away from him at any time. How do fathers cope with not being the only important male figure in their daughters lives anymore? How do fathers cope with having to give up their daughter to someone who is not worthy? When is anyone truly worthy?

Yuno stopped at the light, patient and looking a little nervous. Kyouya didn't want to be caught by Yuno—imagine her disappointment when her father looked as if he didn't trust her enough to go to school on her own. Disappointed in her father at the age of five?

Give me a chance!

Kyouya hid behind a large bus sign, and when the light turned green, he bolted between cars, careful to zigzag his way through vehicles without making himself conspicuous. He almost had the dive behind the trash bin at the other side of the street to prevent Yuno from spotting him. In his heated calculations, he lost sight of Haruhi, but he assumed that she had not crossed the intersection.

Eyes on Yuno making the last couple of steps to the school gates, he stepped out from behind the bin, but not before a full force came at him from behind. The force propelled him into the wall. He caught sight of Yuno skipping onto school grounds and he turned to find out the source of the force.

"Takumi?" he blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi," his son laughed, eyes downcast. "I'm doing the same thing you are."

"What?"

"Kyouya! Takumi! What are you doing here?"

"Hi mom," Takumi bent down to kiss his mother on the cheek.

"Takumi, what about your job?" Haruhi placed her hands at her hips.

"I asked for the morning off," Takumi stepped back, hands up as if to defend himself from his mother's reprimanding. "The boss has a little girl at the school too, so he let me take it to make sure Yuno got there safely."

"And your excuse?" Haruhi asked Kyouya, eyes teasing.

"I don't have one." Kyouya shrugged. "I wanted to make sure she was safe."

Haruhi laughed, bringing her husband into her arms. Kyouya laughed in return and offered his arms to Takumi.

"Come, let's return to our lives," Kyouya said. "Don't forget we're having dinner with your aunt tonight, Takumi."

"I'll be there!" Takumi called out to them as he ran off, waving.

"Let's go, dearest," he kissed Haruhi.

"We certainly are something," Haruhi agreed to his unspoken thoughts.

He kissed her again but said nothing.

* * *

"Daddy!" Yuno entered her aunt's residence with Satoshi panting after her. She raised her arms and her daddy scooped her up into a warm daddy-bear hug.

"Hello, Yuno, how was school today?"

"It was good! We learned colors!" Yuno giggled as her daddy kissed her on the cheek. "Hello Mommy!"

"Yuno," her mommy gave her a kiss. "How was the walk to school?"

"Good! I like walking to school!"

"Hey kiddo," her big brother opened his arms and she hopped out of daddy's into his. "Heard you were a big girl today."

"Yes," she buried her nose into her brother's shoulder. She liked the smell of her big brother. He smelled of sugar and tea and something earthy. It was soothing.

"It looks like our little princess has arrived!" her pretty aunt with the big warm smile came to greet her.

"Auntie!" she giggled when her aunt made loud kissy noises.

"She's grown up pretty fast," her aunt said.

"Yes, but not too fast," her daddy's voice sounded a little rough.

Yuno was still in her brother's arms and she hugged him tighter. She doesn't see big brother often anymore.

"What's up, Yuno?" her big brother asked her, his breath tickling her ear. "Were you scared today?"

"Only a little. But it got better!"

"Yuno," her mommy was calling her. "Don't you remember our promise?"

"Yes!" Yuno struggled to be let down and was obeyed. She ran to her daddy, staring up at him. She liked her daddy's dark look, almost regal and imposing, but she knew better. She knew her daddy was warm and caring and loved her mommy and big brother and her and she knew that he was the one taking care of them. What would she do without her daddy?

She reached into her backpack and felt around for the round object she bought earlier in the morning.

"A present," she declared as she lifted the object and presented it to her daddy, "for you, Daddy!"

Her daddy's eyebrows raised, and her mommy came to the rescue, "Yuno's been eyeing this for you."

Yuno put it in her daddy's hands and he opened the ball. Yuno already knew what was inside of it: an azure-metallic car. She often wondered if her family knew how much she liked them. Just how much she liked them and never wanted to be away from them. She didn't know how she knew these feelings, but she did, and she learned from her mommy that one should always express feelings most felt, in the best, most sincere way, possible.

"What's this for, sweetheart?" her daddy knelt down in front of her, brushing her bangs from her face.

"One day," she declared, "one day I'm going to buy one for you! But a big one! A really, really big one! To thank you for being my daddy!"

Her daddy smiled. She liked it when her daddy smiled. It was warm, and beautiful, and always, always loving.

"Hey," her big brother spoke up. "What about me?"

**Author's Note:** So I think this is it for 'Itsu Made Mou' for the time being! I haven't any more chapters planned for this series, and seeing that 'Kimi no Koe' and 'Touch of Serenity' has been over for more than three years, I think I'm ready to say good bye to this series. I've enjoyed writing about Kyouya and Haruhi's marriage life, and I'd like to thank all of you who supported me back then, now, and in the future!

As always, please review if you have the time! Reviews are an author's salvation! Let me know what you thought of the Kimi no Koe series, what you think about Kyouya and Haruhi's children, or maybe even suggest what you think you'd like to read next! You never know—I might just get inspired :)

Constructive criticism is appreciated. Flamers are gnawed by my zombified kitties and flames extinguished by their acid spitballs. Yes, I live with them, and yes, my entire house smells like diseased flesh. They're still pretty cute though, as long as you don't flame!


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